WeTried Translations
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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈
Chapter 24: Yu Gyeyun
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Although he had become one-eyed in reality, he was unchanged in the Forget-Me Garden.
The world he saw through his Spirit Body was far broader and clearer than the world seen through his eyes.
Once again, Jegyeong arrived at the meeting place before anyone else and waited for the seniors who would soon arrive.
Before long, the senior cultivators of the Full-Wing Gathering began arriving one by one.
The first to arrive this time was Chae Yeonri, the sole woman of the Full-Wing Gathering.
“Senior Chae.”
Perhaps because he had tasted the bitterness of dealing with Human Race cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage, Jegyeong unconsciously treated this Foundation Establishment senior with more courtesy than before.
“Junior Jegyeong. You came early again today.”
Following Chae Yeonri, the senior cultivators of the Full-Wing Gathering arrived in quick succession.
Soon, the six cultivators, including Jegyeong, took their places as before.
“We've gathered safely again. Well then, has everyone been well?”
Yu Gyeyun, the oldest and strongest member of the Full-Wing Gathering, asked after them with a smile.
“Nothing happened. It was boring, really.”
“Same for me.”
For cultivators who made plans spanning decades, three months was a short time.
In that respect, the Full-Wing Gathering met quite frequently compared to other gatherings. Other groups met once a year at the earliest, or once every ten years at the latest.
The reason the Full-Wing Gathering met so often, and why its members consistently attended such frequent meetings, all came down to Yu Gyeyun.
Yu Gyeyun's cultivation was deeper than anyone else's here, yet he did not avoid socializing.
His exchanges with people far below him in cultivation were exchanges only in name. In truth, they were little different from one-sided instruction.
Cultivators busy with their own practice did not usually waste time like this.
Yet Yu Gyeyun willingly spoke with his juniors, giving up his own time.
The other cultivators of the Full-Wing Gathering did not know Yu Gyeyun's true intentions, but they felt deeply grateful toward the senior who generously taught them every three months.
“Before we begin today's gathering, I'd like to say a few words.”
Yu Gyeyun spoke as he looked at each cultivator in turn.
His manner was as gentle as ever, but there was an unusual solemnity to it. Everyone focused on him.
“It has already been over sixty years since I first set Full-Wing Day and began holding these gatherings. There were two Fellow Daoists with me then. Fellow Daoist Uh, you remember them, don't you?”
“Of course. They were Senior Sa and Senior Baek, correct?”
At those two names, Yu Gyeyun's Spirit Body seemed to quiver faintly for an instant.
A quiver in one's Spirit Body meant that one's Heart State had been shaken.
“They were the first friends I made after entering the Forget-Me Garden. We understood each other well. We promised to walk the Immortal Path together, no matter how far it stretched.”
As Yu Gyeyun's heart turned toward the past, his Spirit Body remaining in reality quivered once more.
“But that promise came to nothing. They left before me, and I alone remained to keep this small gathering alive. Looking back, it was an attachment, yet I believe it was still the right thing to do. After all, I left something behind. Even after I depart, this little gathering we built will continue, won't it, Fellow Daoist Uh?”
Yu Gyeyun's gaze shifted to Uh Dobaek.
“I believe it will. Though I don't know whether we will continue meeting as often as we do now.”
“Haha. Leave that to all of you. You must have suffered greatly because of my selfishness.”
“What are you saying? Since meeting you, Senior, I looked forward to that one day every three months. Thank you for all your teachings.”
Everyone present understood now.
Today would be Yu Gyeyun's last time attending this gathering.
“You all seem to have guessed it, but after today's meeting, I will leave for Vast Leisure Forest. There, I intend to test my Immortal Path.”
The moment he finished speaking, the cultivators offered blessings in unison.
“May Dao Fortune be with you, Senior.”
“May you attain the Great Dao, Senior.”
Yu Gyeyun listened silently to their blessings, then spoke in a low voice.
“Dao Fortune follows, and one attains the Great Dao. Pleasant words. If I truly manage to take a step forward, I will know that it was all thanks to you.”
Yu Gyeyun, carrying an oddly hollow air, continued.
“In truth, you need not be grateful to me. If my inadequate advice has helped you even a little, that would instead be my joy.”
“What do you mean?”
“I do not say this lightly. I helped you because I truly wished to benefit myself.”
As he said that, Yu Gyeyun looked up at the sky.
The sky of the Forget-Me Garden might not have been as high as that of the Azure Basket Realm, but it was still far too high for them to reach.
“I once heard a saying. Everything beneath heaven has merit and fault. One receives rewards according to merit and punishment according to fault.”
Yu Gyeyun was clearly smiling as he spoke.
“It is what they call Heavenly Dao Merit. It is laughable for a cultivator who wishes to rise against heaven to rely on heaven's favor at the very end, but what else can one do when there is no other path?”
The brief words, Heavenly Dao, sank deeply into everyone's minds.
There was an indescribable force in that word, that name.
“In a way, I am like Senior Floating Cloud. I bestow Good karmic bonds, accumulate merit, and wait for heaven's will. So, Fellow Daoists, there is no need for you to thank me. We have given and received from one another.”
“Whatever your intentions may have been, your kindness remains kindness.”
“If you see it that way, then this old man can only be grateful.”
After his faint smile, Yu Gyeyun's Spirit Body, which had seemed as though it might drift away and vanish with a gust of wind, became as distinct as usual.
“That is enough of this old man's grumbling. Now, let us begin the gathering.”
Yu Gyeyun announced the start of the gathering as he always did, but naturally, the atmosphere could not be the same as usual.
They briefly discussed the various events that had occurred in the Cultivation World over the past three months. Only when it was time to discuss cultivation did the conversation truly become lively.
This was likely why the cultivators of the Full-Wing Gathering attended, but it was not why Jegyeong came.
He could not say it was entirely meaningless, but he had little to gain from these discussions. His realm was too low, and more importantly, his cultivation differed from that of the Full-Wing Gathering's seniors.
Before overcoming the Transformation Tribulation, the cultivation of the Human Race and Demon Race, humans and Demon Beasts, had almost nothing in common.
The only parts Jegyeong could draw from were supplementary methods, such as the Qi Concealment Technique.
Yet Foundation Establishment cultivators would never seriously discuss such minor arts, so Jegyeong was usually little more than an awkward bystander at the gathering.
Even now, as he watched the cultivators ask Yu Gyeyun various questions about cultivation, Jegyeong was lost in other thoughts.
‘Yu Gyeyun is leaving. He is going away for ten years. I don't know whether I'll ever see him again.’
From what Yu Gyeyun had said, it seemed he was prepared to die if he could not Form a Golden Core.
If that was the case, he naturally would not return to the Full-Wing Gathering either.
Yu Gyeyun was the unspoken leader and central pillar of the Full-Wing Gathering.
Once he left, its energy would greatly diminish.
Uh Dobaek had said that the Full-Wing Gathering would continue, but could a gathering really be sustained by one person alone?
They would only learn how the others felt after Yu Gyeyun had gone.
‘It would be nice if everyone stayed.’
Jegyeong liked the Full-Wing Gathering.
He occasionally gained something from it, but even when he did not, he enjoyed quietly listening to their conversations.
It was not a feeling he experienced when chatting with Cheongo.
He was naturally closer to Cheongo, but he could sense a vague kinship with the cultivators of the Full-Wing Gathering.
He did not know who had first coined the term “one's own kind,” but it felt like a fitting expression.
“Let's end it here, Fellow Daoists. Thank you for everything.”
How much time had passed?
When Yu Gyeyun announced the end, everyone showed their regret.
They regretted the end of today's gathering, and they regretted the departure of their senior.
“Senior, may you attain the Great Dao.”
After offering their blessings in their own ways, they disappeared one after another.
Jegyeong also planned to read the room, offer a quick blessing, and leave.
Before he could depart, however, Yu Gyeyun stopped him.
“Fellow Daoist Jegyeong, wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
Everyone else had already left.
Jegyeong remained alone atop the stone pillar, confused.
He did not understand why Yu Gyeyun had stopped him, and just as unease began to rise within him, Yu Gyeyun explained.
“The reason I asked you to stay is that your condition seems different. I was curious, and I have never been good at restraining my curiosity.”
“My condition is different?”
Jegyeong was genuinely startled.
His condition was different, yet he himself had felt nothing.
Had anyone other than Yu Gyeyun said this, he would have suspected they were mocking him.
But Yu Gyeyun had no reason to play such a joke.
“I... don't know.”
“Hmm. Your spirit has become murkier than before. It is such a subtle change that you may not have noticed it yourself.”
“But you noticed at a glance, Senior.”
“I have no special talent, but I have cultivated diligently to this age. Would it not be shameful if I had less discernment than my juniors?”
Jegyeong fell into thought.
His spirit had become murkier? It did not sound like a good change.
Then again, it was because the change was not good that Yu Gyeyun had specifically asked him to stay.
Perhaps Yu Gyeyun saw this as another chance to accumulate merit.
“This kind of change means that no small disturbance has arisen in your heart. If nothing particular comes to mind, calmly recall everything that happened over the last three months. If you remember what has remained in your heart, you may be able to guess the cause.”
“...”
What had happened over the last three months.
The moment he heard that, something immediately came to mind.
One of his eyes, though it was not even here, seemed to throb.
“It seems you remembered something.”
“Yes.”
“You need not tell me if you do not wish to. I only wish to offer a little help if I can. I have no intention of forcing you.”
Jegyeong hesitated for a moment.
He knew Yu Gyeyun would soon travel far away for at least ten years, perhaps never to return, yet he still felt instinctive resistance.
After all, Yu Gyeyun was a Human Race cultivator.
The chance that Yu Gyeyun had any connection to those six Human Race cultivators was extremely slim, but could he truly be certain?
‘No.’
He was taking this too far.
Because he had been burned by Human Race cultivators once, a vague fear and wariness of the Human Race had taken root in his heart.
That fear was now trying to swallow his reason.
Jegyeong decided to think simply.
Yu Gyeyun wanted to help him, and there was no need to doubt that intention.
If so, he only had to accept gratefully.
What if Yu Gyeyun was connected to the Human Race cultivators he had fought and killed?
‘Then I’ll have to die.’
If lightning struck from a clear sky, it was fate.
There was no avoiding such a thing by trying to avoid it. He could only accept it.
“Senior, something happened to me recently.”
Jegyeong told him exactly what had happened when he fought a life-and-death battle against the six Human Race cultivators, adding nothing and leaving nothing out.
There was no need to insist that it had been self-defense, that the Human Race cultivators had attacked his companion first, or anything of the sort.
Yu Gyeyun understood the principles, customs, and ways of the Cultivation World better than anyone in the Full-Wing Gathering.
“I see.”
Yu Gyeyun understood the cause as soon as he heard the full account.
“What did you think when you swallowed those Human Race cultivators?”
“I did not think much. It was a situation where I would die if I did not kill them.”
“Was that truly all?”
Jegyeong did not answer.
It felt as though a thought was about to surface, yet remained just out of reach. A corner of his heart tingled.
“You may disregard it if you wish, but will you hear what I have to say?”
“Please teach me.”
“I believe that rationalizing things by saying one had no choice is, in the end, an escape from one's True Heart.”
“An escape?”
“Is it not?”
“I don't know. Is that important?”
“It is. It is very important, because it concerns your True Heart.”
Yu Gyeyun continued explaining kindly, as if teaching a child.
“Under no circumstances should a cultivator avoid their own True Heart. Even if you must confront it and be broken until you are battered beyond recognition, you must never avoid it. It is like closing your eyes out of fear that you will answer a question incorrectly when it is a question you absolutely must solve. You do not realize that the question had no predetermined answer to begin with.”
Jegyeong wondered inwardly whether it was really something so serious.
His heart was only slightly uncomfortable. In time, that discomfort would fade as well.
Yet Yu Gyeyun was advising him to draw out that discomfort and look directly at it.
“All sorts of schemes and deceptions run rampant in the Cultivation World. Countless people deceive friends, martial brothers, even family, for the slightest gain. Yet even they do not deceive their own True Hearts, because they know that the True Heart is the Dao Heart.”
The True Heart was the Dao Heart.
Jegyeong could not yet understand those words, so he buried them in his heart for now.
“Senior, then what should I do? I do not understand my own heart.”
“Simply do not avoid it. Even if it feels hopeless, keep pondering it. Then, at some point, you will realize that the answer has already been placed in your hands.”
Yu Gyeyun did not tell him the answer. Instead, he taught him how to seek it.
‘Is the heart truly that important?’
As that question naturally arose in Jegyeong's mind, he suddenly understood.
Was the heart important? Of course it was.
Was he himself not proof of that?
He had the body of a Demon Beast, but he still possessed some or all of a human heart.
Without that human heart, he would be a Demon Beast. Yet because he had it, he was not a complete Demon Beast.
‘That is it.’
The True Heart was the Dao Heart?
Did that not mean that if the True Heart was incomplete, the Dao Heart would also be incomplete?
On the Immortal Path, where one wrong half-step could send one plunging into a thousand-fathom precipice, what could it mean for the Dao Heart to be incomplete?
“Thank you for this great teaching.”
“I am glad if it helped.”
At that moment, Jegyeong's gaze toward Yu Gyeyun was no different from that of the other cultivators in the Full-Wing Gathering.
The distance that had existed between them only moments ago had visibly narrowed.
Since things had come to this, Jegyeong decided to be a little more shameless and follow his True Heart.
“Senior, I injured one eye in that battle.”
A considerable amount of time had passed, and his body had recovered greatly, but Jegyeong still could not open one eye.
He had initially thought little of it, but it was beginning to bother him.
“Hmm. Your eye did not burst completely, did it?”
“No.”
“Look for a Spirit Spring. A Spirit Spring sometimes produces a special water called Healing Water. Its healing effects are outstanding, so it is used as an ingredient in all kinds of Demon Beast Pills. If you were in the Human Territories, I would tell you to seek out Demon Beast Pills, but you are not...”
“I understand. Is a Spirit Spring similar to a Spiritual Land?”
“A Spiritual Land refers to land where Spiritual Energy is concentrated, so a Spirit Spring may be considered part of a Spiritual Land. But just as not all land in the world is a Spiritual Land, not all water from a Spirit Spring is Healing Water. You will have to find it yourself, but there is no need to worry too much. You will know at once when you see it. There is no need for me to explain further.”
Jegyeong's heart filled with joy.
The unease that had occupied one corner of his heart for quite some time was washed away cleanly.
“Well then, I believe we have said all there is to say, so I will be going now.”
“Thank you, Senior. May you attain the Great Dao.”
A hearty laugh rang out, and Yu Gyeyun's Spirit Body vanished.
No, he had not vanished. He was moving too quickly for Jegyeong to see.
He was moving toward Vast Leisure Forest in the Northern Region, where, nine years and several months later, a Lecture on the Dao would be held.
Footnotes:
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